It was a rollercoaster of emotion for the singer’s family last weekend when Hinckley’s Lauren found herself in the sing-off on Saturday night during a double-eviction weekend on BBC1’s Over The Rainbow.

Celebrity judge Charlotte Church accused Lauren of being too loud with her songs, with not enough subtlety, but Lord Lloyd Webber thought differently.

He saved her for two reasons, saying she has “a rapport with animals”, important when there’s a Toto on stage, and that any faults she has can be fixed.

So she’s through to the semi-final after Lord Lloyd Webber favoured her over Scottish lass Jenny as she belted her way through Simon and Garfunkel’s classic Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Her performance in the sing-off may have changed things - she got the fewest votes before the first eviction - but she dug deep and went on her strengths, managing to avoid the sing-off again on Sunday night to stay in the competition. On Sunday night, the tally of girls was reduced to four after Jessica was knocked out.

Speaking before the weekend, Lauren, 22, said all the girls were under enormous pressure and were aware there would be two of them going.

But she said she was so grateful for the support she’s been getting from people across Hinckley to keep her in the show, and from people who have been passing on messages of support.

“It’s so wonderful,” she said. “My mum keeps sending me messages from such and such and she’s been putting up posters, it’s been so heart-warming. It’s an unbelievable feeling and their support is so lovely.”

She spoke about some of the more difficult weeks when she’s found it tough to get through to the next round.

“It’s difficult when you get negative comments, but you’ve got to take it on the chin,” she said. “The advice and the experience we’re getting is second-to-none, and we’re all really lucky to be here.

“It was tough to be told that I appeared to be arrogant, but you’ve got to put on a brave face and get on with it.”

As for the other girls, Lauren believes she might not be the one who claims the ruby slippers, despite the weight of her experience and age, which even at her age has led to her getting the nickname “grandma”.

“All the girls are so good. Everyone’s working as hard as each other, I can only speculate but I think that Danielle is standing out as a really strong contender.

“I’ve learned so much just from being on stage, in both the Concordia and then growing up and at school. The Hinckley Speech and Drama Studio has also been a massive help too. I’m really thankful for all that I’ve learned. I wouldn’t be as confident if I didn’t have that experience.”

This weekend Lauren will be looking to get her place in the final which is broadcast at 7.15pm on Saturday.